Plan to increase state tuition is progressing

Jeremy AlfordCapital Correspondent

Published: Thursday, December 6, 2012 at 7:21 p.m.

Last Modified: Thursday, December 6, 2012 at 7:21 p.m.

BATON ROUGE — A Board of Regents subcommittee approved a plan Wednesday that would authorize most of the management boards of each university and college system to raise tuition to the southern regional average.

The Board of Regents, which oversees higher education in Louisiana, is expected to consider the plan during next year’s regular session on April 8.

Under the proposal, which does not have a legislative sponsor, higher tuition could also be charged for high-cost programs that are in demand, and institutions would be allowed to charge on a per-credit basis rather than a static full-time rate capped at 12 credit hours.

Before the plan was unanimously approved, Regent Bubba Rasberry of Shreveport, chairman of the legislative subcommittee, called it an “enlightened step.”

If adopted into law, the University of Louisiana System could theoretically increase tuition at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux. Or, technically, it could choose to do nothing.

Under current constitutional law, both the House and Senate must first approve tuition changes by a two-thirds vote before Louisiana’s universities can implement them.

Rep. Joe Harrison, R-Napoleonville, sponsored a constitutional amendment to eliminate the Legislature’s tuition approval during this year’s regular session, and he plans on resubmitting it in 2013.

During this year’s session, his legislation failed on the House floor by a 37-56 vote.

“The climate will be dramatically different next year. With budgets being cut and costs going up, the time has come. We’re the only state in the nation that still does this,” he said, referring to the Legislature’s control over tuition. “We’ve got to let (the universities) run their own campuses the way they want.”

Supporters of the bill said they have a strong case with the Louisiana Community and Technical College System.

Its management board was given the authority to raise tuition in 2011, and it has not pushed payments to the southern regional average. That shows the concept can be applied responsibly, boosters contend.

Officials with the Board of Regents said they’re also keen on avoiding the same debates that bogged down Harrison’s bill.

For example, leadership on the various management boards have agreed to essentially write the TOPS program out of any proposal, meaning the systems would eat the difference in cost between what the scholarship program offers and what tuition might be, if the proposed legislation is enacted.

If Harrison, who said he is not working directly with Regents, resubmits his legislation, it will be the third year in a row he has brought it forward.

However, Harrison’s constitutional amendment from the most recent session would have let voters decide whether the Legislature should be stripped of that role.

Some lawmakers argued that it would have created disparities among campuses, depending on how each management system acts.

Representatives from the Patrick Taylor Foundation, a nonprofit education advocacy organization, also noted that an existing law passed by the Legislature, known as the Grad Act, already grants a 10 percent increase for a period of six years.

<p>BATON ROUGE — A Board of Regents subcommittee approved a plan Wednesday that would authorize most of the management boards of each university and college system to raise tuition to the southern regional average. </p><p>The Board of Regents, which oversees higher education in Louisiana, is expected to consider the plan during next year's regular session on April 8.</p><p>Under the proposal, which does not have a legislative sponsor, higher tuition could also be charged for high-cost programs that are in demand, and institutions would be allowed to charge on a per-credit basis rather than a static full-time rate capped at 12 credit hours. </p><p>Before the plan was unanimously approved, Regent Bubba Rasberry of Shreveport, chairman of the legislative subcommittee, called it an “enlightened step.” </p><p>If adopted into law, the University of Louisiana System could theoretically increase tuition at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux. Or, technically, it could choose to do nothing. </p><p>Under current constitutional law, both the House and Senate must first approve tuition changes by a two-thirds vote before Louisiana's universities can implement them.</p><p>Rep. Joe Harrison, R-Napoleonville, sponsored a constitutional amendment to eliminate the Legislature's tuition approval during this year's regular session, and he plans on resubmitting it in 2013. </p><p>During this year's session, his legislation failed on the House floor by a 37-56 vote. </p><p>“The climate will be dramatically different next year. With budgets being cut and costs going up, the time has come. We're the only state in the nation that still does this,” he said, referring to the Legislature's control over tuition. “We've got to let (the universities) run their own campuses the way they want.” </p><p>Supporters of the bill said they have a strong case with the Louisiana Community and Technical College System. </p><p>Its management board was given the authority to raise tuition in 2011, and it has not pushed payments to the southern regional average. That shows the concept can be applied responsibly, boosters contend. </p><p>Officials with the Board of Regents said they're also keen on avoiding the same debates that bogged down Harrison's bill. </p><p>For example, leadership on the various management boards have agreed to essentially write the TOPS program out of any proposal, meaning the systems would eat the difference in cost between what the scholarship program offers and what tuition might be, if the proposed legislation is enacted. </p><p>If Harrison, who said he is not working directly with Regents, resubmits his legislation, it will be the third year in a row he has brought it forward. </p><p>However, Harrison's constitutional amendment from the most recent session would have let voters decide whether the Legislature should be stripped of that role. </p><p>Some lawmakers argued that it would have created disparities among campuses, depending on how each management system acts.</p><p>Representatives from the Patrick Taylor Foundation, a nonprofit education advocacy organization, also noted that an existing law passed by the Legislature, known as the Grad Act, already grants a 10 percent increase for a period of six years.</p><p>Jeremy Alford can be reached at jeremy@jeremyalford.com.</p>